Azeem Wazir, a Catholic, is fighting against the Home Office's decision to deport him to Pakistan as he fears that once he reaches there either he will be sentenced to death or murdered by extremists. He fled to Bristol four years ago after he was accused of dishonouring Islam and two fatwahs were issued against him for his leading role in a campaign against blasphemy laws. The role he played in organising protests against church bombings by Islamic extremists in March 2015, also made him a target.
The 45-year-old is currently being held at the Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre and has been told he would be deported later this week. The senior lawyer who is fighting his case produced documents to support his fears that he would have been either killed or arrested if he had stayed in his country.
Wazir's wife and three children are in Pakistan and are being threatened by people, his sister Marina Benson said. If he is deported “he would be taken away and we wouldn’t have a clue where he is,” said Benson, who stays in UK since 1994 and sponsored her brother's asylum applications.
Wazir was arrested last week during a check-up and since then he is under detention. More than 5,000 people signed a petition moved by Dave Mitchell, senior pastor at Woodlands Church, to halt his deportation. Wazir worked as a cleaner in the church. Wazir's case was also supported by Bristol’s Mayor Marvin Rees who called him a valued member of the community. “It is inconceivable that as Canada opens its doors to give Asia Bibi and her family safety, we are on the verge of sending one of her public supporters back to Pakistan where he faces clear and very serious danger," he said referring to the Pakistani Christian woman who spent years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy before her conviction was overturned last year by the Supreme Court.
Despite threatening Wazir with deportation this week, he was granted a bail hearing by the Home Office on 14 May. The letter did not make any reference to the fact that Wazir was due to be deported before that.
